National Association of Marriage Enhancement

3 Ways Your TV May Be Hurting Your Marriage & What You Should Do About It

How do you mostly fill your time with your spouse? Is the TV a third person in your marriage? Maybe your TV watching has increased or as long as you can remember you always watched a lot of TV. Here are 3 ways your TV may be hurting your marriage:

1. You have stopped eating dinner around the table.

When you are at the table, you have to talk! You get more time to communicate about your day, unlike the time around the television where the TV is doing the talking for you.

2. You cannot name something you enjoy doing together other than watching TV.

It is so vitally important for a couple to have fun doing things together, especially things that allow time to talk. Try hiking or exercising, taking little trips, shopping, etc. There are so many hobbies out there. Why limit yourself?

3.  You talk more about what is going on in the lives of the characters on TV than you do your own.

Is it possible that you are talking about TV shows and movies to avoid talking about your feelings or your problems? This is a dangerous road. Heartfelt communication and difficult conversations can save your marriage from a divorce.

 

We are not against watching TV. It can be fun entertainment, but be wary of the examples above. In short, if the TV is hurting your marriage, shut it off! Eat dinner together. Enjoy life together. Talk with each other. An extra TV show a night or a week is not worth marital problems.